


What if...

by Queen_Leggy



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mild Gore, Vincent survived AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-09-21 19:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9563114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Leggy/pseuds/Queen_Leggy
Summary: What if Ciel wasn't the sole survivor or even the one who sold his soul. Where Vincent is the one to find out who killed his wife. After all, he was living the dream life until the fire. He must also keep up being the Queen's watchdog and must learn how to take proper care of a child.All while annoying his demon butler.





	1. Chapter 1

Vincent didn’t know what to do after losing his wife to the fire and his child to heaven knows what. He lost his manor and just simply refused to leave, he felt truly broken for possibly the first time in his life. He was supposed to protect England and the Queen yet he couldn't even save his family. He was thankful that Madam Red would visit nearly every day to make sure he was ok and to bring food, tea and blankets. Every day she would ask him to stay with her until he was back on his feet so that he wouldn't be exposed to all the elements. Every time he would refuse. 

However, in the blink of an eye, everything changed with the help of a certain demon, who just happened to be passing by. He caught a glimpse of the despair of the man sitting, alone in a broken down manor. A soul that would be easy pickings. One what would accept him rather quickly.

* * *

 

"I will ask again, do you want to make the contract?"

"Yes."

 

* * *

 

"Did you really have to have the same face as me?"

"Nevermind that will annoy Diedrich it's perfect."

* * *

 

Madam Red returned to a properly functioning manor and a butler dressed in black. Who she swore looked like Vincent and frankly she just couldn’t tell who was more attractive. It was nearly impossible to tell in fact.

She was shocked, she knew she was busy for a week but she never expected the nearly broken man to rebuild everything. How could the manor be returned to its former glory in only a week? Everything was back to before the fire.

“How did you get this done?” She inquired, mainly thinking out loud. She was wondering if this was a dream - if she was seeing things.

“It cost me an arm and a leg my lady.” The butler spoke, his voice like silver.

Ciel's head poked out from behind the butler's legs, his face instantly brightening with the sight of his beloved aunt. He was so short and skinnier than she remembered but the fact that he was there, just standing in front of her made her so happy. 

"How did you find him?"

“Well, what kind of Butler would I be if I couldn’t find a child?” The words were lost to Madam Red who was holding onto Ciel as though he was her life support. She was so worried about the boy and here he was, safe and sound.

“Is there any chance that my sister is-”   


“No. She perished along with the dog.” Vincent’s voice was sombre and barely audible. The atmosphere instantly darkened and Madam Red looked away. She had a small hope that maybe, just maybe her sister dearest would have survived. That there was a small hope that everyone she loved most would have lived. 

Her hopes had shattered, they were gone with the wind.

“Sebastian, get everyone some tea. It should help raise everyone’s spirits.” The butler nodded before leaving the room. The footsteps fading down the corridor seemed so lonely, so… Peaceful. 

“Where did you find him?” She asked, sceptical. She had noticed while walking to the drawing room there were no other servants, so why did he have a butler? Of all servants.   


“Who?”   


“The butler of course.”

“Well, in a way he found me.”  

Madam Red dropped the subject, he wouldn’t give her the real answer and over the years of knowing him, she knew this. She gave Ciel one last friendly squeeze before standing up and brushing her dress. She smiled at Vincent before making  her way to the armchair beside him. She was overjoyed that he was safe, 

“Where was Ciel as well?”

“He was found by a family in the nearest town.”

“I’m so happy he was safe.”

“I have a brilliant idea, a beautiful one in fact. As you can clearly see, my butler has a similar appearance to me, so I can really annoy Diederich now.”

“I worry about you sometimes.”

“Trust me. I’ll be safe.”

Footsteps could be heard returning to the drawing room, steady and precise. Ciel sat up in his chair, a ghost of a smile on his face. The door opened and the butler returned, three cups of tea in hand. 

“I’ll visit again soon.” It was getting late as Madam Red was waving goodbye from her carriage as it started to leave. Sebastian shut the door. 

“Young Lord, I think it would be best if you retire for the night.” Sebastian insisted, as Vincent climbed up the stairs for god knows what. 

Soon Ciel was put to bed and sleeping. 

Sebastian could hear his master and contracter calling for him, the door to the study slightly ajar. He opened the door and everything went dark. Vincent’s laughter was loud enough to threaten to wake the sleeping boy just a few doors down. Sebastian glared, removing the bucket from his head, his suit was soaked through and his hair was dripping.

“Was this truly necessary my Lord?” He queried, facepalming, however, Vincent’s laughter failed to cease. 

Sebastian kept quiet, truly hoping that this was not going to be his life for the foreseeable future. Though he supposed there was always a silver lining and hopefully, once he found some servants his master would hopefully pick on them instead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ciel required my attention, my Lord."  
> "Did he, did he really?"

A letter with a familiar signet made it’s way to Vincent’s hand, he broke out into a grin, eagerly opening the letter. A mission involving Italian spies spotted in London. 

“Clearly they don’t know what a good spy is. A good spy wouldn’t be caught, am I right Sebastian?”   


“Without a doubt.”

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get the carriage ready."

"Of course, my Lord."

The butler's footsteps echoed down the corridor, stopping down the middle, before restarting. Vincent smirked, resting his head on his hands. This case seemed to be an interesting one. One that would be dangerous, no doubt but if he played his cards right and played the right strings he would have no problem.

He read over the letter again, to remember the details, they were spotted around the centre of London, near a market stall; they managed to get away. Their description was rather vague, one with brown hair the other a blond, both quite a strong build and both tall. They were in their late twenties or early thirties. That was all the letter said of them.

It took a while before Sebastian returned and as soon as the door opened the butler was pelted with paper aeroplanes, many of them.

"What took you so long?"  


"Ciel required my attention, My Lord."

"Did he, did he really?"

"I do not lie my Lord. Now shall we leave?"

They walked out to the carriage and Sebastian silently held open the door.

"Why is Ciel here!?"

"I could hardly leave the boy home alone."

"You're on babysitting duties then."

"Yes, My Lord."

Vincent climbed in first and as soon as the door was shut behind Sebastian he tapped the top twice, signalling for the carriage to move. They went at a comfortable pace, not too fast but not too slow either- though Vincent would've preferred more speed. It wasn't good enough for him. Ciel was quiet but would smile at his dad and butler all the time. He was quite excited to be going to London. Vincent made small talk with the boy during the trip and while the boy was distracted he handed the letter to Sebastian to read over.

He read over the details, making sure to remember them all. They have only spotted a couple days ago, so there was a chance that they were somewhere else but nearby; though not in the same place unless they were stupid. Though that wouldn't have surprised Sebastian that much. Some humans simply were idiots. No other word could describe them.

As the reached the city, Ciel stared out the window. He always thought it looked rather grand, rather than a city with many dangers, mazes and criminals. He saw the city for the flowers and not the thorns. It was a naive view of the city but Vincent would kill to protect that view. The boy did not have to see that world until much, much later. Not now, he did not have to grow up now.   
  


They arrived in the centre and Vincent went off to find the spies, whispering to Sebastian that he'll call when he finds them. Sebastian took Ciel's hand so that he wouldn't get lost in such a crowded place and they went around the markets. Ciel found a bakery with a beautiful five tiered cake in the window with pristine white icing and blue flowers, a shade similar to Vincent's ring.

"My young lord, surely that'll put you off your dinner?"

"Please."

"I'm afraid I'll have to say no."

"Even to a small treat?"

"We'll have to see then, won't we?"

They entered the shop, a wee bell rang and the baker looked up. The shop was empty apart from one other worker, who smiled at the customers. Cakes and sweet treats lined a glass case, each cake painstakingly crafted to utter perfection. The icing was smooth and silky,  with intricate decorations that would've taken ages to decorate.

Ciel picked a cake with a blue swirl pattern, using his puppy eyes to convince Sebastian to allow him to have a slice. The boy's smile widened whenever he was handed the slice and he immediately dug in. Sebastian paid and took Ciel out before he got any more ideas.

Vincent wasn't having much luck with finding the spies. Truth be told, he honestly thought they'd be stupid enough to return to a similar place to last time, however, he wasn't exactly correct. If he could just get a photo then things would be so much easier. He wouldn't have to rely on vague descriptions. He knew some people who may have information, so hope was not lost.

He would just have to be cunning about it. 

For now, he would just have to try his hardest. Even if he failed, he needed to know that he tried and he didn't give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a Tumblr post


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sebastian and Vincent try to capture the spies

"He's asleep. I have a lead, let's go."

"Are you sure it's safe, my Lord?"

"Positive. It'll only be a couple hours. Now prepare the carriage."

"Yes, my Lord."

His footsteps echoed down the hall, a nice and steady pace. The door shut and Vincent sighed, Ciel was constantly demanding his attention that day. At least, he figured the boy would sleep well. Sebastian swiftly returned, leading Vincent away. 

The carriage ride was long and bumpy but at least they were quick. They made good pace to their destination. 

"Do you think we can prank them as well?"

"Surely you have more important matters to tend to?"

"Of course, but after a while that gets boring. I order you to prank them in fact."

"And how would I go about that my Lord?"

"You're a demon, figure it out."

Sebastian smiled and bowed, "Yes, my Lord." 

Personally, Sebastian thought such tasks were pointless, however, his master had ordered it and so he would comply. Vincent smirked as they entered the bar. The smell of tobacco, vomit, and beer struck the two men, as men, women, and barmaids shouted, drank and worked. Some women showed off more cleavage than could be considered decent and there were men drooling over them. Some men were too drunk to even stand and some poor unlucky sods were being robbed. Vincent grimaced a little, the place was awful.

Truly and utterly awful. Perfect place to find a scumbag. Vincent turned to Sebastian and nodded, it was prank time. Vincent went to the bar counter and scanned the place, looking for the spies. The lights flickered, before going out, the whole place turned as black as the night sky. Within seconds they came on again as if by magic. Blood dripped down the wall, freshly cut. Grown men started crying and screams were heard from all over the place. The lights went out again and the rain came on. 

Sebastian smirked, the rain wasn't part of the plan but it made the whole ordeal scarier. He pricked his fingers writing a message in his blood. 

When the lights returned Sebastian had already left, and a message reading, "We know your sins. Those who defy the Queen will face her wrath."

Two people screamed shouting something that sounded French but Vincent knew it wasn't, instead, it was Italian. They held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. The lights went down again and once they went on again, three people were missing.

"I said prank them, not scare them witless."

"We found the spies, did we not?"

"That we did."

The spies still were holding each other tightly, tears running down their cheeks. 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them." Vincent stated, his voice cold.

"Wait! Wait! I have a family!" The taller spy pleaded, fearful.

"Yes, my Lord."

The curtains closed on their lives as blood littered the streets. They couldn't even scream. 

The carriage went off and wasn't seen again.

* * *

 

"My Lord, there is a problem. I'm afraid, I cannot sense the young Lord."

"What do you mean?"

"Your son is missing."

Before the carriage stopped Vincent jumped out and raced to the door before flinging it open. He sprinted down to Ciel's bedroom, hastily opening the door. The bed sheets were a mess and the bed was moved out of place and a curtain was torn in half. Vincent sunk to his knees, he had failed as a parent, again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a Tumblr post


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vincent becomes an angsty teenager... again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to post. I kinda forgot my password (which wasn't helped by the fact that I just didn't visit the site).   
> Also I did not take this chapter as seriously as I possibly should've. I only hope I made you guys laugh at least once. As Simplynailogical

So what do you do upon finding out your son has been kidnapped and is must likely gonna lose his smile, for good? Simple, you throw a temper tantrum to rival every toddler in existence. And you scream. And throw random shit, and you shock your demon butler because damn he's never seen anyone break down this much after acting so smug just mere seconds ago.

Also, he wasn't crying, there just was something in his eye, which totally wasn't tears.

Also, the Butler also wasn't totally freaking out because for fuck's sake someone just kidnapped a child, a ten-year-old child. A child who was made of sunshine and rainbows and who deserved to be protected. 

It was Sebastian who calmed down first or at least appeared calm. He entered the room, looking out for clues and sniffing the air. Ciel was here very recently. He looked out the window, fresh footprints leading down the garden.

"My Lord, what are your orders?" As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just up and run.

"Of course," A sniffle and Vincent seemed to regain normality, "Find my son. And kill those who took him from me."

"Yes, My Lord." And he was out the window, and Vincent broke down, again. Parenting alone was not supposed to be this hard, and next time, he was hiring a nanny. Someone to keep that boy safe. 

He just hoped Ciel was giving his captors hell.

So here is where I was planning to switch to Ciel, giving his captors hell. But let's be honest, he's more likely to be knocked out so I'll switch to Sebastian and the search.

The footprints were erratic, all over the place, only one set though, there was no way only one person could have done all this. Sebastian sniffed the air, traces of Ciel still in the air. He followed them, to the road where car skid marks could be seen. So the captor had a car, must be a rather wealthy man. So why ruin all that. He could still smell the burning of the tires and the fuel and followed that, sniffing the air as he went. The child wasn't disappearing on his watch. 

Vincent got up, needing something to distract himself with. He searched for the toolbox he would always use for practical jokes, seeing Sebastian's face would be worth it. Upon finding it he went to Sebastian's room, which was immaculate and really lacked any signs of life or personality. Time to change that.

The first chair was difficult but he quickly got the hang of it. Hold it with one hand, hammer with the other. Of course, the first nail was the hardest, that was to be expected, as long as he finished the room before Sebastian got home he didn't care how it happened.

Ciel awoke in a cage, surrounded by other children. All of them silent, weak and broken. They would never be able to smile again, just waiting for death to take them. It was easy to tell who the new ones were, they were scared, crying, they looked alive and not like breathing corpses. Ciel panicked, pushing against the bars trying to understand the situation, after all, he was sleeping in his bed just moments ago. Wait no, some man grabbed him, he woke, tried to escape, then he was out of it.

He was scared, there was a terrible smell of rotting, faeces and blood. He was in a cage with two other people, and a corpse. The altar in the middle was covered in blood. There were no familiar faces. His dad wasn't there, no one was there to wake him from this nightmare. 

His thoughts were likely along the lines of "What the hap is fuckening?" Or the polite Victorian equivalent...

The smell of the corpse over overwhelming and the decaying body was enough to scar the boy, the mottled skin was already showing some of the structures behind it. The body was just skin and bones, the boy was seriously malnourished in his last months. His eyes were open, unmoving, unblinking, it truly was a terrifying sight for the ten-year-old boy. A sight which was burned into his memory. The girl beside him looked close to death, her face blank, her skin hanging off her bones. It had been too long since her last bath and a rancid odour was emitted from her body. Her hair was matted and bags graced her eyes.

The other boy wasn't doing much better, while he had more fat on his body than the girl, he was still unnaturally underweight with blank sunken eyes, he mumbled the same thing over and over again, trying to keep hold of his own sanity, trying to not resort to cannibalism, no matter how desperate things were. He held onto his legs, digging his painfully short nails into his skin. His body was covered in bruises, bite marks and scratches.

As Ciel took another look around at his surroundings he saw blood stains were everywhere, the room had seats all around it as though the children were on a stage, just waiting for the curtain call for the performance of a lifetime, or a performance that would last the rest of their life.

Sounds of screaming and crying fulled the room as children were reaching the breaking point in their sanity.

Ciel had never been more scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a Tumblr post.  
> Also the recent manga chapters are really making this fanfiction difficult, do I add the twin and he burnt as well, or do I leave him, what is our Ciel's real name?   
> Imma just ignore it.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a Tumblr post.


End file.
